One Rainy Afternoon

This was wonderfully enjoyable! Men probably disagree since it is most definitely Woman's Movie!! The leading man is almost too handsome and then he smiles!! Wow! Plus, Ida Lupino is so young & gorgeous! I doubt the film maker was hoping for an Oscar but an offering of romance and comedy!! Why not!! It's perfect in that category!!

In Paris, "Incorrigible Philippe Martin, a rakish actor, has arrived at a darkened movie theater for a tryst with his married girlfriend Yvonne. Everything changes when he accidentally sits in the wrong seat and kisses a beautiful publisher's daughter named Monique. To protect Yvonne in the ensuing scandal, he claims that Monique's beauty was irresistible. Now Monique is intrigued, but her fiancé is anything but happy," according to the fine folks at Mill Creek Entertainment.

This is a mostly unsuccessful romantic comedy from the intriguing production team of Mary Pickford and Jesse L. Lasky. She was, of course, THE film sweetheart last appearing in "Secrets" (1933) and he was the likewise legendary former Paramount Studios boss. "One Rainy Afternoon" was the first of two films from Pickford and Lasky, both starring Ida Lupino. The second was better, but they stopped there. Interestingly, you can see traces of Ms. Pickford in Ms. Lupino's character - these parts look like they might have appealed to Pickford herself. Leading man Francis Lederer receives star-billing, but is lesser remembered today; he was a versatile and convincing actor. Everyone delivers competent, albeit uninspired, work.

Interesting, too, is that two of filmdom's very first popular players appear as uncredited extras. They are Florence Turner and Florence Lawrence, two of the movies' first genuine "STAR" actresses. Popular for several years, they were still big enough to appear in the first annual "Motion Picture Story Magazine" players poll, for 1912; Ms. Lawrence was #8, Ms. Turner was #11, and an up-and-coming Pickford appeared at #12. Pickford passed them in the next year's poll.

**** One Rainy Afternoon (5/13/36) Rowland V. Lee ~ Francis Lederer, Ida Lupino, Hugh Herbert, Roland Young

This is a fun romantic comedy which relies upon Ida Lupina's face expressions to do much communication. This is an under rated enjoyable movie w lots of laughs. Ida is terrific.

Middle thirties studio fodder that would be completely forgotten if it didn't have Ida Lupino in one of the star parts. She's very young although starting to move away from the English Jean Harlow mold the studio tried forcing her into when she first arrived. Her voice is still high and light not having yet acquired the smoky whiskey tinge that was to come within a few years. Some fun is provided by two members of the supporting cast, the always reliable Roland Young and the buffoonish Hugh Herbert plus Ida and the forgotten Francis Lederer make an attractive couple but this is a minor romantic comedy nothing more.

Philippe Martin (Francis Lederer) is a struggling actor who accidentally kisses Monique (Ida Lupino) in a darkened cinema thinking that she is someone else. This incident causes a scandal which goes to court. In the meantime, Philippe's stage career takes off and we end with a theatre performance where the story depicts the recent events and we even have a song about it.

This film isn't very good despite having 2 good main actors in the lead roles. I expected more from Lederer and Lupino but there just wasn't anything in the script to deliver. The film is about an incident which is not capable of carrying a whole film. It also contains a very annoying Hugh Herbert as "Toto" who is given comedy music when he appears, which is all the way through the film. His character helps ruin the film. But it is a film with a nothing story to begin with. Shame the two main actors wasted their time with this.